Using everything and the kitchen sink to get the right book into a reader's hands

Board Books For Geeky Grown-Ups

Before your child gets to the ‘again! again!’ stage of requesting the same book hundreds of times in a row, indulge in some board books that appeal to your geeky glory! Especially for young babies, it doesn’t necessarily matter what you read as long as you’re reading and exposing your child to early literacy concepts like

Not to mention that when you enjoy the book you’re reading to your child, you model the experience of reading as a pleasurable activity!

“Jedi apprentices and little princesses will delight in this (heart)felt retelling of the Star Wars saga. And so will Star Wars fans of any age! The series launches with the original trilogy, and every word counts in these small but perfectly formed yarns. That’s because each volume features 12 iconic scenes, handcrafted in felt and pithily summarized in just a single word.”

Geeky Appeal: Each felt scene is crafted with attention to detail that will thrill hard-core fans and impress even newbies to the franchise. Also in this series: The Empire Strikes Back, Return of the Jedi.

“Cozy Classics is the popular board book series that presents well-loved stories to children aged 0+ through twelve child-friendly words and twelve needle-felted illustrations. Jane Austen’s Emma is a romantic comedy about a young woman who makes mischief through matchmaking, and is one of the world’s most beloved classics. Now you can share this classic with children of any age.”

Geeky Appeal: Also in the ‘Cozy Classics’ line are these books for former English majors and all lovers of classic literature with subtle nods to the original plot-lines and a delightfully wry sense of humor. Also in this series: Pride and Prejudice, Moby Dick, War and Peace, Great Expectations, Les Misérables, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Nutcracker, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Jane Eyre, and Oliver Twist.

“ABC, 1 2 3 . . . HTML! Just as kids learn the alphabet or numbers, it’s important for them to learn HTML. This colorful introduction teaches the rudiments of this language—including markup code and letter forms—and helps prepare them for our digital age.”

Geeky Appeal: More of a novelty book than the others recommended (what web designer parent wouldn’t want a picture of their baby holding this book), without a real ‘story’ to read aloud to baby, but colorfully designed with a high-contrast style that will appeal to very young infants. Also in this series: Javascript for Babies and CSS for Babies.

“Medusa refuses to care for her hair, her long locks getting knottier and wilder with each passing page. Her hair rebellion elicits frozen expressions of shock from her family, but nothing will convince Medusa to brush. Only her hairdresser approaches Medusa with bravery and a blade, successfully solving the problem . . . with a short haircut! All are pleased with this drastic yet adorable solution.

Geeky Appeal: Former Classics majors will devour this series — which has more of a concrete narrative than others and slightly more text (a combination of single words and full sentences). Great, quirky illustrations by the famed Leslie Patricelli and a fractured fairy-tale feel to the adaptations of familiar myths. Also in this series: Be Patient, Pandora!, Good Job, Athena!, Don’t Get Lost, Odysseus!, Be Careful, Icarus!, Make a Wish, Midas!, Please Share, Aphrodite!, Play Nice, Hercules!